UAB announce $30 million donation to cancer center

<p>UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center announced a record gift to help them advance treatment for patients.{/p}

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — UAB made a life-changing announcement about its Comprehensive Cancer Center. Officials said the center will receive a record gift to help advance treatment for patients.

O'Neal Industries committed $30 million for the education and prevention of cancer in the most under served communities.

"UAB's goal is for our cancer center to offer unsurpassed patient care to be so good and have such expertise that no one from Alabama would ever consider going to any other cancer center in any other state," said Dr. William Ferniany, CEO of UAB Health System.

This year in Alabama there will be nearly 28,000 people diagnosed with and more than 10,700 deaths from cancer. That's one out of every four deaths caused by cancer.

"We're thankful to have the opportunity to support UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center and hopeful it will have a meaningful impact and cancer prevention, detection and patient care. We also hope it will accelerate the development of more effective treatment and hopefully lead to a cure," said Craft O'Neal, CEO of O'Neal Industries.

The 30-million-dollar commitment is considered one of the biggest single donations in UAB's history. UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center will be renamed to the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. The plan is to make the change by spring of next year.